8 Things

8 things I am passionate about?

(in no particular order)
1. My husband
2. Prop 8
3. books
4. scriptures
5. sugar
6. my children
7. my religious beliefs
8. exercise
9. Brushing my teeth




8 words or phrases I use all the time?

1. "Dang it" I hate this one but I use it all the time and I'm trying to stop because I hear my kids use it and I cringe.
2."Oh my goodness" or "gosh"--another one I don't like to say, but I do.
3.Um...

4. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
5. "mighty fine"
6. I love you.
7. cool?
8. wow?
(You know how some people always use sayings to express themselves? I'm not one of those. Hm. )



8 things I want to do before I die?

1. Tour Europe
2. Live in a different country
3. be in a musical
4. experience grandchildren
5. Triathlon
6. go back to school
7. Teach
8. Mission



8 things I currently want or need?
1. need: sleep
2. want: a massage would be nice
3. need: a break
4. want: In'n'Out Burger with a Strawberry Milkshake
5. want: a vacation--I'm trying to convince my husband that when he turns 30 (this Feb.), that we NEED to do something big...It's not working.
6. want: Disneyland
7. need: a better attitude about fall and winter...I'm getting there
8. need: A nice thick slice of juicy watermelon


8 places I want to visit?
Except for #5, these all dreams that aren't going to happen any time soon.

1. I want to visit some places where my ancestors lived. I think that would be really neat...England, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, Scotland. You know, Scandinavian countries.
2. China
3. Thailand
4. Alaska
5. I'd really like to take a month or two and really tour the United States.
6. Samoa and Tonga
7. Costa Rica
8. Australia & New Zealand


8 favorite restaurants?
1. Fast food: Subway.
2. Cheesecake Factory
3. Togo's
4. Anderson's Pea Soup
5. Olive Garden
6. Beto's
7. P.F. Chang's
8. In-n-Out
9. Oh, and my favorite Pizza place is Papa John's.



8 TV shows I watch (or 3)
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. So You Think you Can Dance
4. News

....Um, I think that's it. We have never had cable, so we don't watch much.

5. Oh! I would watch Friends all over again.




8 people I tag?

Whoever wants to? Everybody? Anybody?

11 Random Things About my Children

1. Maren hates when you close a door and separate someone from her. So when I am on one side of the door and Taylor is on the other side, it doesn't matter which side Maren is on, she feels left out and she is very unhappy. And, of course, McKay has caught on to this and always tries to close her out.

2. Taylor doesn't like pretzels. I have no idea why. We all love them. All that salt--what's not to love?!

3. Taylor and McKay love this really weird pick-up game that Spencer plays with them. We can't figure out why they like it. Spencer counts to five. If they haven't picked up a toy in those five seconds, they continuously get attacked by two wiffle (sp?) ball bats until they find an object to put away...and they love it! It works for now to motivate them to clean up, so I am content, but I'm also perplexed as to why they like it so much because it hurts. Spencer did it to me the other day. Ouch. Go figure?!?

4. McKay is our early bird. He's up between 6 and 7 every morning.

5. Maren is in a "Mommy" stage. She says "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY". She says it when she needs something or when she wants to tattle on McKay because he pushed her down, or when she just wants to talk. It's very cute, but sometimes I wish she would say "DADDY DADDY DADDY" or anything else.

6. The other day I asked McKay what he wanted to be when he's grown-up. He told me he wanted to be a "fixer-man". I wondered what it was that he wanted to fix. He told me cars and bikes.

7. McKay holds his pee. He holds it and holds it and hold it until he can't make it all go in the toilet. He's always Pee Dancing and in denial that he has to go. Grrr. Frustrating.

8. My children are easily motivated by food. They always want a snack or a treat. I use this against them all the time to get my way. Ha!

9. My favorite word that Maren says right now is shoes. She calls them "OOSH". It sounds like she's saying it backwards. And by the way, she loves shoes. She has to have them on. Bows, headbands, and hats, on the other hand, come off before I can get them on.

10. Maren is 16 months old and STILL only has six teeth! Come on, teeth! Come in already!

11. Taylor is reading!

silly laws in cali

Thought this was PARTLY silly, and partly true.

October Pix taken by Gma De Lane

Grandma De Lane is here visiting! When she comes, we always get a photo shoot! (There will be more to come.) We love capturing these moments. Thank you, Grandma.
These turned out well considering the fact that the children were worn out and a little grouchy!

Simple Facts about Prop 8

I liked this video! Maybe you will, too.
If you are somewhere in the middle on Prop 8, maybe this will help you vote the right way.

The Two-Headed Monster

Here's a bit of Halloween spookiness for you!

The Pinewood Derby

There were 24 cars in our ward competition....

McKay was way into it, along with his little friends.

Our car won a lot of races. We came in about 5th place.

Here's our 1974 Dodge Dart.
Spencer drove one just like it in h.s. and college.
Wish I had a picture.

This is a video of the DART toasting the missionaries' car (which they didn't even make...somebody made it for them)!

Halloween Decor

Last year, after Halloween, we bought a few decorations 50% off. It's not much, but it's enough for us!

Glorious Weather

78°F
Current: ClearWind: W at 5 mph Humidity: 35%
Today 86° 52°
Fri 90° 50°
Sat 83° 52°
Sun 83° 52°

Does it get any better than that?!!!





Funny story of today. I was helping in Taylor's class.

I like to make conversation with the kids. I ask them, "Do you have any pets?" or "What are you going to be for Halloween?" or "Do you have brothers or sisters?"

Cole is sitting at my table and coloring with a pink crayon. I ask him if pink is his favorite color.

He says no.

"Ok, so what is your favorite color?", I ask.

Here's his answer and I promise he gave his answer in less than 10 seconds! --"Red, green, blue, orange, brown, yellow, and purple."

Yeah, pretty much every color but pink.

What is Prop 8

What is Prop 8 and why do we care? I've been researching the issue and would strongly encourage all to go to www.whatisprop8.com . This is by far the most informative website I've found. It really shows a lot of current events and lawsuits to substantiate claims that our legal rights will be taken away if prop 8 doesn't pass.

There are links about current lawsuits that people have lost in several areas that accept gay marriage. It is VERY DISTURBING! I am much more motivated to vote yes on prop 8 to preserve my moral freedoms. To see more click on legal battles on the www.whatisprop8.com website.

PLEASE help to protect our religious rights and vote YES on Prop 8!


Another good article from a Professor of Law at Harvard University Mary Ann Glendon which shows that both equality and religious freedom are at stake in this serious issue. This is not a religious post...Strictly factual from a Harvard Law Professor .

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/marriage/mf0051.html

More on Proposition 8

Please everybody click on the video to the right to learn more. Also, please add the Widget to the right to your blog!

This is information is directly taken from http://preservingmarriage.org/

"Having tolerance without condoning.We can love someone while still maintaining and advocating our standards and beliefs.

Unless Proposition 8 passes, California society will soon undergo a profound change in its basic understanding of marriage and family life.That will affect everyone in numerous ways. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs.

Proposition 8 will not hurt gays.In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children.If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches.The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family. "

There is one thing...

I'm not the biggest Fall or Winter person but there is one thing that I am very very very excited about when that cold weather sets in....

SOUP!!

(OK, soup isn't THE ONLY thing that I like about fall. I also really like the fall colors and hot chocolate and the holidays and family times that come with the cold -season- package)

The "MY PICTURES" tag

Go to "my pictures" and open up the fourth folder and click on the fourth picture in that folder. Post and tell about it!



This is late November of 2003. Taylor is almost three months old and still in the hospital--but she will be coming out soon (December 10th)! She weighs somewhere between 5 and 6 pounds in this picture--can you imagine that teeny and three months old??!! Do you know what it took to get to this weight? Oh man, this picture brings a lot of rough memories back to me.


My heart is so full of thanks that everything turned out beautifully in the end. I have a little miracle living with me!

September Zoo Trip

Taylor brought "Link" the Lion with us

the big tortoise

That waterfall and pool look quite refreshing
Cute little baby anteater clinging to mamma

Breaking a Promise (sorry Logan)

I help out in Taylor's class every Thursday. It's a lot of fun. The teacher has set up five stations and the kids are divided in color groups. The teacher usually has me sit at one specific station and the kids rotate stations throughout the day. Today at my station the kids were graphing.


But to get the point-- there is this little smart boy in Taylor's class named Logan. Logan's in the purple group and the purple group came to my station today. After completing his graph, which he did in under 2 minutes, Logan strikes up a conversation with me.

Logan: "Do you want to know what I want to do when I grow up?"


Me: "Sure."


"Well, it's a secret. I'll come whisper it in your ear, but you have to promise not to tell anyone!"


"OK."

Logan walks around the table and whispers in my ear, "NINJA!" And then he gives me a big-wide-eyed glare.

Me: "Wow. So why don't you want anyone to know about this?"

Logan: "Because I don't want to get injured. If people know I want to be a ninja, I could get hurt."

"Oh, I see."

All the other kids in the group were listening to our conversation. One boy, Damien, chimes in, really loud.

Damien: "I know what you're going to be! A ninja!!"

Logan (pointing a stern finger at Damien): "You haven't told anyone, right?

Damien (in all seriousness): "No."

"Good!"

Now I haven't kept my promise to Logan. I have told lots of people about this. I told the teacher, I told my husband, and now I'm telling all of you. Shame on me.

Please, please, please don't hurt Logan!!

Wuthering Heights

I read this book for two reasons. First, I was reading "Eclipse" by Stephanie Meyer and she quoted it a lot. Second, I love Charlotte Bronte's "Jany Eyre"--and being that they are sisters, I thought that I might enjoy Wuthering Heights as well.

This Gothic Romance is dark! I do appreciate how totally unique it is, but it is not my style, at all!

What do you think about it?

Protecting marriage videos

I was moved watching this Catholic video on voting. It's powerful.

http://www.catholicvote.com/


This is a shocking clip on how same-sex marriage will effect our children in the schools.

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1784521903